Highlands Ranch official warns Douglas County groundwater is finite, urges surface-water focus

Rick McLeod, water resources manager at Highlands Ranch Water and Sanitation District, told the Douglas County Water Commission on July 28 that Highlands Ranch has pursued a mix of surface and groundwater, along with storage and reuse projects, to reduce long-term reliance on Denver Basin groundwater and to avoid what he described as an eventual ‘‘crisis in groundwater.’’

McLeod spoke during the commission’s regular meeting in Castle Rock and summarized 44 years of the district’s development of surface-water contracts, storage and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). He said Highlands Ranch now serves roughly 110,000 people and is about 95–98% built out. He told commissioners the district’s long-term goal is ‘‘100% surface water in average hydrologic years.’’

Why it matters: McLeod said Denver Basin groundwater is a finite resource and that some Highlands Ranch wells have already lost economic viability. The district’s experience, he said, shows the limits of relying solely on groundwater and underscores the cost, complexity and political difficulty of acquiring surface water and storage.

Key claims and supporting details

- Sources and contracts: McLeod said Highlands Ranch secured long-term contracts and storage access that let the district move from early groundwater dependence toward surface water. He cited long-term contracts with the city of Englewood (including…